It’s been  a busy summer without much time for outboards, but now I’m fixing a Merc 75   7.5 HP, SN 4089644 for a neighbor.   It’s a 7.5 with blue trim on the case and new enough to have the larger , standard gas line connector and the combined carb/fuel pump.   Has good spark.  I can get it to run for only a few seconds, and as it revs up in neutral, sounding OK, it dies and then gas drips out the carb throat indicating flooding (note that on my vertical test tank transom, the carb slants downward-forward, even with the trim pin all the way down, so any large amount of gas in the carb throat will drip out the front if the motor can’t stay running to suck it in).  Once I got it to run for a minute.  The carb float needle had a bad looking spot on it’s neoprene tip so I took one where the tip looks and feels good out of an identical parts motor carb and nothing changed.  When I squeeze the primer bulb, it primes good and the bulb gets firm and no gas rolls out of the carb until I try to start it.  The tank and line I use on other motors and that works fine.   I’ve cleaned the carb and carefully set the float level and float drop to spec.  The plastic float does not leak and is not binding on anything.   I’m starting it with the low speed mixture 1-1/2 turns out and have tried it 1/2 turn each way from this setting.  What are your thoughts?  I once had a 8.4 HP Champion drip gas back out the carb throat and quit and it was a broken reed.  I have not checked reeds yet.  Neither this carb or the parts carb have the spring on one end of the float valve needle that slightly newer models have, and the float needle does not have the detail to accept a spring on its end.

Help!  Thanks!

Dave